So Who’s Going to Be in ‘True Detective’ Season Two?

Rumors have been swirling around the Internet all summer long over who’s going to star in the second season of HBO’s hit drama “True Detective.” While creator and writer Nic Pizzolatto has revealed a few details about the series’ upcoming installment — including the fact that it will be set in California and feature four leads — he’s been mum over the new characters and which big-time actors will play them.

From Vince Vaughn to Brad Pitt, check out our round-up of all this summer’s crazy casting rumors for the next season of “True Detective.”
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Vince Vaughn

The Wrap reported that Vaughn is being sought after to play the central antagonist on the next season of “True Detective.” According to the website’s post, the comedian may be playing a former thug-turned-businessman named Frank Semyon. While this news should be taken with a grain of salt, it would be interesting if the funny man got the gig.
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Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival

Elisabeth Moss

In addition to Vaughn, The Wrap also recently reported that “Mad Men” star Elisabeth Moss was another name that may be in line to join the show. The website says that Moss may play a “no-nonsense” sheriff named Ani Bezzerides, who has gambling and substance abuse issues. Again, take this rumor with a grain of salt, but considering last season’s male heavy cast, it would be nice to add a strong, female lead into the mix.
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Colin Farrell

As far as rumors go, it looks like Colin Farrell is the closest to a sure thing for season two of “True Detective.” The Irish actor is reportedly close to inking a deal with HBO to star in the series’ upcoming installment, and has been rumored for months to be in talks with show. It’s not set in stone yet, but don’t be surprised to see Farrell in a prominent role next season.
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Michelle Forbes

Another tidbit courtesy of The Wrap, “The Killing” star Michelle Forbes is also said to be in talks to appear on the show’s upcoming season. The former Emmy nominee may play either the ex-wife of Farrell’s character or the spouse of Vaughn’s character.
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MARIO ANZUONI/Reuters

Taylor Kitsch

Like Farrell, actor Taylor Kitsch’s name has been thrown around a lot over the past few months. The “Friday Night Lights” star is supposedly up for a main role, which may be as Paul Woodrugh, a military vet who’s seen plenty of violence and destruction. Again, just a rumor, but one that may actually pan out in the coming months.
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It’s unlikely that Brad Pitt was ever seriously in contention to join the show, however, that didn’t stop the rumor mill from churning out this nugget of wishful thinking. Again, there’s been no official information released about casting, but considering that Pitt hasn’t had a prominent role on a TV show since the 90s, don’t expect to see this Hollywood A-lister next season.
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Cate Blanchett

Along with Pitt, Cate Blanchett was also being talked about in early casting rumor reports. While anything is possible, this is another unlikely tidbit we’ll chalk up to overzealous, early speculation.
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Christian Bale, Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin

Christian Bale (pictured), Joaquin Phoenix, and Josh Brolin are some pretty big names that have been rumored to be in talks to join the show, however, it’s more likely that they are just examples of the types of actors the series is hoping to sign.
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Ewan McGregor

The Daily Star reported last month that Pizzolatto was looking to meet with British actor Ewan McGregor to talk about joining the series. There’s been little buzz about this casting rumor, so it may just be smoke and mirrors.
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ANDREW KELLY/Reuters

Kate Mara, Ellen Page

”House of Cards” star Kate Mara caused a stir in March when her Twitter conversation with Ellen Page caught the eye of HBO. The network favorited one of Mara’s tweets to Page, which used the hashtag #TrueDetectiveSeason2, and, of course, the Internet blew this rumor out of the proportion. However, it was still a fun bit of social media speculation.
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Michael Fassbender

Michael Fassbender was another early name to take the rumor mill by storm, however, there’s been little mention of the “X-Men” star as a potential cast member of late. Don’t expect to see Magneto show up on “True Detective” anytime soon.
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